Wander, the narrator and protagonist of A Wolf Called Wander, is a young gray wolf who belongs to a northwestern subspecies of wild canids. He is one of five wolf pups in his litter, and his siblings include his sisters Pounce and Wag and his brothers Warm and Sharp. Initially given the name Swift by his pack, Wander eventually rejects this name when he is separated from them because he perceives himself as having failed to live up to his moniker. He later introduces himself by his chosen name, Wander, when he meets the female wolf who will become his mate.

Wander is curious, determined, loyal, proud, introspective, and sensitive to the dynamics of his pack; he treasures his relationships with his elders and siblings and has an acute sense of his status within the pack. He is ambitious from an early age, desirous of a role of prominence and dependability, and he longs to become an efficient hunter and protector for his pack. While his younger siblings engage in the customary play and mischief common to wolf pups new to the world, Wander adopts a regimen of serious study almost immediately upon being granted permission to venture outside the den.